Animate Your Client Projects With SVG

SVG stands for “Scalable Vector Graphics”. This is an XML based vector image format which supports animation. For newbies, it is relatively a new file format, which allows creating images based on paths and shapes. The first official release was done by W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), which is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web. SVGs are widely used for creating icon images for websites. Since scaling the vector image preserves the actual quality of the image, any image can be compressed or resized, and that is the stand-out feature which is the USP of SVGs.

With internet technology having come such a long way, developers are hugely inclined to use SVGs in their content to boost and create more visibility for their websites, rather than sticking to the traditional presentation using words or static content. In this article, we will showcase seven unique and effective ways you could benefit from SVGs. We will also illustrate why this tool is a favorite among developers for increasing traffic on their online engagements.

Utilizing the Mixed Benefits of Vector and Raster Technology

The first and foremost feature that encourages most of the responsive websites to move towards SVG is its vector technology, which develops images that are a mix of lines created using mathematics. So, to modify the size of an image, we just need to edit the numbers. If we require zooming in, there is no distortion as it is all calculated. The browser recalculates the mathematics, and renders the lines as smooth. Whether zooming in or out, the image is neither blurred nor loses its image quality. On the other hand, we have the Raster technology, which is totally pixel-based because Raster files use pixels, or tiny blocks of color. So, when we try to edit the image, the pixels and blocks of colors get blurred out.

Best Utilization of SVG Icons - All under One Roof

Basically, an -SVG icon system is a way to accommodate a group of icons which, with an inline SVG sprite sheet, are applied all around the website. The <use> element is utilized to refer an icon. Web designers are using these SVG icons to enhance the overall look and feel of their sites. Quick bytes are:

Strong CSS control

Easy to place - Icons are vectors

Supported by the majority of browsers (except IE8)

Adaptive to the font size

Proxy browsers and blockers support SVG

Minimizes weird failures

The vital connect is the browser support - if the browser is above IE8 or Andriod3+, SVG Icons are the best way to improve visitor count.

Accessing the DOM Node-based API

For starters, DOM is a programming interface, primarily used for XML and HTML documents. SVGs also have a DOM feature, which allows opportunities to control and format overall graphics displays and patterns. It is very convenient for the developers to style shapes in CSS, and make them interactive with JavaScript, as there are numerous JavaScript libraries, such as Raphael, SVGWeb, and JSDrawing to name just a few. Furthermore, using the DOM Node-based API of SVG allows the creation of SVG document-based images at the server end.

Animating Anything and Everything

Animation is considered to be the “backbone” of dynamic web pages. Animation designers can work wonders with a web page. In this regard, SVG Animations are considered very useful for animating logo images, user interface visuals, vector illustrations, infographic contents and icons. By using CSS and JavaScript, even the behaviors of each SVG are manipulated along with their components. Since SVG’s concept is code-based definitions of points and curves, implementing JavaScript allows us to manage every element within SVG, which definitely helps to transform the overall look of the page. Just imagine if you are the developer of a page related to wheels, and you have a logo of a wheel at the top of your page which needs to be spinning all the time! This is where SVG animation comes into play. You just have to apply the CSS animate property to that particular component, and your browser does the rest. Start now for that awesome animation journey with SVG.

Charts and Graphs - Doing so much more than just what you want

A better representation of the data brings better fortune to your business, in that you will win potential customers and clients alike. Data synchronization with statistics and charts is a great way of showcasing your professionalism to your prospective customers. If you are a designer who has been asked to create a page which focuses on company statistics, data, trends, and figures, using SVG tools will do the job. These statistics used to be best represented by using a spreadsheet program, and making charts and graphs; however, with changing trends and technology, customers appreciate the interactive and easily adaptive “SVG” solutions, which are used for presenting any kind of data. Below are some of the advantageous highlights of using SVG charts and graphs:

Easy to style

Highly interactive model

Looks sharp at any size

Can be accessible to screen reader with little input

There are multiple Java Scripts libraries available. You just need to figure out which one suits your requirements. As SVG files are a combination of mathematics, many designers rate it as the best tool to present analytical or numerical data graphically. Also, SVG based charts and graphs are best suited for tracking real time data.

Exploiting the Resolution Independent Feature

Resolution independence and browser agnosticism is a highly rated topic of discussion among developers. In order to fix resolution-based issues (for example, retina screens), developers previously had very limited options. The solution was either “browser” based or involved a huge amount of data that was downloaded to ensure higher image replacement.

SVG provides developers with a fixed resolution irrespective of screen size, resolution, zoom level, devices, etc., simply by using a range of vector shapes. As they are easy to scale and reposition, be it icons, illustrations or even background patterns, vectors are the first choice of developers due to their agility and flexibility.

Getting SEO Friendly through Indexed SVG files

With every business trying to lead the charge, stiff competition is not necessarily inevitable but is already common. Whether it be an individual or a company, market presence is an essential element of business, and what if - even after creating what you feel is the very best of contents - there are no visitors to your web page? Hence, in today’s online world, understanding and using SEO (Search Engine Optimization) effectively in promoting and marketing the business is one of the primary goals of an organization. In 2010, Google revealed that they have started indexing SVG files. Using the SVG Sitemap Tool, you can convert an XML sitemap into an SVG image with embedded links. See it in action here how SVG could be an effective SEO tool.

SVG images are present in the majority of modern websites we come across, as this has become an SEO goldmine. SVG also helps in reducing the load time, which means customers can spend more time perusing your page instead of quickly switching over to other websites.

Welcome to the new world of online business, and the art of making your presence felt! Hopefully, this article will help you explore the potential use of SVG’s.